3.5/5

I ended up enjoying this one a lot more than the first book! It has a lot of my favorite tropes which is exactly why I picked it up even thought it's ultimately about one of my least favorite tropes (surprise baby). I'll list my fav tropes in the book in case they're anyone else's too:
-forced proximity
-there's only one bed
-grumpy/sunshine
-jealousy even though we are NOT together

This books also handles some serious issues such as family trauma/abuse, child neglect, mistreatment due to neurodivergence, infidelity, abortion, etc. I appreciated how the author handled each issue with care. This book really ended up feeling like a soft, warm hug. It's all about love, acceptance, friendship, and treating yourself with care whether that;s setting healthy boundaries or finding new ways to make sure you can stay healthy.

Lizzie was a ball of sunshine and Rake was very dashing throughout. Their intimate scenes were much less cringe than those of the previous book and there was an undercurrent of heat throughout the book since the characters are trying to abstain and stay platonic partners.

The audiobook was done well. I enjoyed both voice actors, especially Rake's, and I think the story is short and sweet.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ALC!

This was so good. I really loved the narrators and the story.

I identified with Lizzie so much. Like Lizzie I also have ADHD.

It was wonderful to read about a character with ADHD that was written by a neurodiverse author.

Lizzie was such a great character, she was hilarious and unapologetically herself and I love it and I loved that Rake loved her for it.

Rake and Lizzie were the absolute cutest and I really liked the unplanned pregnancy trope in this book. I think it worked so well for this story and these characters. Even if you aren’t a fan of this trope I still encourage you to read this book because I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

This book was such a warm hug and I loved it so much.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

Review: Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake by Mazie Edding

I have been raving about this one since I read it!! Though apparently it’s stuck in my head as Lizzie Blake’s big mistake?! Oops! Gotta work on that!

This book is so wonderful at grabbing you and pulling you into Lizzie’s story instantly making you care about all of the characters!

I typically hate any book that involves pregnancy or surprise pregnancy or accidental pregnancy or hidden pregnancy lol but this one is done so well that it does not bug me one bit.

I loved Rake in this story so freaking much! He is such a cinnamon roll of a leading man!! We Stan his care and appreciation and patience with Lizzie while she finds her way. We all need a rake.

I highly recommend this one for all my romance and romcom lovers. Trigger warning for pregnancy and miscarriage. These are huge tropes in the story and if that isn’t something you can take on right now you might wanna pass on this. I loved it and would definitely suggest if you’re up for it stepping out of your comfort zone and trying this one even if this isn’t your favorite trope, it is definitely worth it.

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5


QOTD: What is a book that is a trope you typically hate but that book you make an acceptation for?!


#IReadRomance #bookreview #lizzieblakesbestmistake #fivestarread #highlyrecommend #romcom #Romance #MazeyEddings #StMartinsGriffin

I adored this book!

I loved the representation of ADHD with the main character Lizzie. and found it really interesting. I also loved the interaction and relationship between Lizzie and Rake. It has alternating POV of the chapters, which I alway like and I thought the narrators did a great job with the accents. It's a funny, emotional and sweet romcom with lots of spice. Super fast paced and enjoyable.

Thanks Mazey Eddings, St Martins, MacMillan Audio & NetGalley for the audio ARC in return for my honest review

Synopsis:
Lizzie has made endless mistakes. Kitchen fires, pyramid schemes, bangs (of the hair and human variety), you name it, she’s done it… and made a mess of it too. One mistake she’s never made is letting anyone get closer to her than a single hook-up. But after losing yet another bakery job due to her uncontrolled ADHD, she breaks her cardinal rule and has a two-night-stand that changes everything.

Once burned, twice shy, Rake has given up on relationships. And feelings. And any form of intimacy for that matter. Yet something about charming, chaotic Lizzie has him lowering his guard. For two nights, that is. Then it’s back home to Australia and far away from the pesky feelings Lizzie pulls from him. But when Lizzie tells him she’s got an unexpected bun in the oven, he’ll do whatever it takes to be a part of his child’s life… except be emotionally vulnerable, obviously. He’s never going to make that mistake again.

Through a series of mishaps, totally “platonic” single bed sharing, and an underground erotic baking scheme, Lizzie and Rake learn that even the biggest mistakes can have the most beautiful consequences.

Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake made me laugh one minute and blush from second hand embarrassment the next. Lizzie is a mess. She's a barely functioning adult with ADHD. Every relationship she has is effected by it, including with her family and friends. She meets Rake, an Australian visiting Philadelphia. They have a two night stand and he leaves. He ends up returning to the city a few weeks later after she drops the baby bomb on him. From there we get the awkwardness of trying to live with someone you barely know, and watching Lizzie try to be a grown up. You can't help but root for her the whole time. The author does a good job of navigating life with ADHD and the real life struggles it causes. The narrators did a nice job as well and I was impressed with the accents.

Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

I read this author’s debut novel (A Brush With Love) in March and absolutely loved it. It really hit me in my emotions just right, so I had high hopes for Lizzie Blake. It didn’t quite deliver and some of that is just a me issue and certain tropes I don’t like. I’m not really into instant hookups and the steam in this one was really on the smut side of things. I’m not a prude and I like steam as much as lots of people, but the characters sexual interactions in this book were not for me.

Here’s what I did like:
*dual POV
*great ADHD/anxiety rep 👏🏼
*a sweet and caring male MC
*the portrayal of the parent issues
*a few LOL moments 😆

The audiobook was narrated well. The dual narration worked great to tell this dual POV story. Accents were spot on and the voices suited the characters in the story.

Audio book review
Another fun and cute rom-com by Mazey Eddings, This time narrated by Summer Morton and Will Peters. I have to say that I liked A Brush With Love more than this one, but still found it enjoyable. The narrators did amazing, I just felt that Lizzie's ADHD was so extreme to the point it was not believable. Other than that I love everything else about the book.

Thank you so much to Mazey Eddings, St Martins, MacMillan Audio & NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I absolutely adored A Brush with Love, so I was very excited for Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake. I love how Mazey Eddings included anxiety representation in the first book and was interested to see how she would display ADHD. I personally do not have ADHD, so I cannot speak on the representation, but I did find it to be very well described and easy to understand and empathize with Lizzie. I do not normally love the trope that was used but I find that I did not mind it in this story.
I found that at the beginning, Rake and Lizzie's relationship seemed somewhat insta-love, but as I continued listening, it almost seemed to turn into a slow burn, which I don''t think would normally work for me but Mazey Eddings did this well. Both characters managed to be lovable and have so much personality within each character. The banter was genuinely funny and the steamy moments were fun! I would absolutely recommend this book to someone.

A romance must have two narrators to portray the main characters. This was a highlight of this audiobook. I enjoyed both narrators who spoke clearly and with great expression. The voice acting was well-done. The one suggestion I would give is Rake’s narrator allow the Australian accent to be a bit more consistent. I did appreciate that both of the narrators spoke in an Australian accent when Rake was speaking.

Well-done!

Overall, this book gave me a very happy feeling. It had great ADHD rep, what felt like demisexual rep (please correct me if I'm wrong), sensitivity around abortion matters and great humor.
Lizzie loves hooking up, but doesn't like the feelings. Rake has lived in a bubble since his last relationship. What happens when Rake lets himself have a one-night, turned two-night stand with Lizzie is an unexpected pregnancy and a heartwarming not-relationship.
I do not have experience with ADHD, but it seemed very well handled in this book. It was also explained along the way for people who don't have experience with it, but not in a boring educational way. It was something interesting to learn. Lizzie is the one with ADHD and she really just had such a big heart. Despite not wanting feelings for men, she loved her friends, she tried to love her family (who didn't accept her), she loved her job. She tried her hardest and for the people who mattered, that was enough. Rake was like the perfect man. Which made him a little unbelievable. I still really liked him, but I felt he put all other men to shame. He moved across the whole world when he found out Lizzie was pregnant and suggested they move in together despite neither of them wanting a relationship and he immediately accepted every single one of Lizzie's flaws. How can you get better than that? I loved Lizzie's friends, Rake's parents, and came to love
*SPOILER*
Lizzie's brother and sister-in-law. I think Lizzie's family was a very important part of this book. Her parents NEVER accepted her and end up not accepting her and she cuts them out of her life. Lizzie's brother realizes how she was treated her whole life and really works hard to show her that he wants to learn and wants to change and love her. I think it's important to show that there are these 2 types of people and it is ok to accept and apology of someone who wants to change and it is ok to cut out toxic people.
*END SPOILER*
This book was honestly a little bit of a breath of fresh air. These 2 basically strangers who have created a life are both all in from day 1. Since they are strangers, they decide against a relationship, but a co-parent situation instead. And honestly, the way their relationship in the end is perfect. It is not forced and I think anything other than what it ended up being would have been a disservice to the characters.
I loved the narrators of this book (a female for Lizzie and male for Rake), but when the male narrator did Lizzie's voice, it just grated on my nerves for some reason! They both did wonderful Australian accents (as Rake is from Australia) and I think it would have been so cringey if they weren't able to pull it off so well.
Overall a really fun romance that is quite different from anything else I have read before!

Lizzie Blake's Best Mistake was probably the most honest book I've read in a while. Eddings was so honest with the character's emotions. Lizzie has ADHD and has never "been enough" for her family or the guys she has had relationships with. She ALWAYS feels like she comes up lacking and I think she really hated herself for not being able to change things (like it was her fault!). She's pretty much decided that one night stands are all she's ever going to have.

Enter Rake. Yeah, Lizzie makes fun of his name, as is only right. He's from Australia and the accent in the audiobook was very welcome. Their one night stand turns into a bit more and even a bit more in the way of an unexpected baby that's discovered after he returns to Australia. Being the great guy he is, he wants to be a part of the baby's life and comes back to be beside Lizzie, if not exactly with her. They don't really even know each other! They have their ups and downs learning the ins and outs of living together without actually being a couple.

I really loved Rake because he was so supportive of Lizzie and was really accepting of her issues with her ADHD. He was proud of her accomplishments, which was something she never got from her parents. Her rather unique career path creates greater fissures in her relationship with her parents, but she's got backup now in Rake and finds the strength she needs to deal with them with his help.

The humor in this story was phenomenal. There was a lot of "in your face" funny moments that just really worked well for me. It was over the top funny and I loved it! The narrations by Summer Morton and Will Peters were perfect for this story.

Thanks to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my

This book completely took me by surprise in the best possible way.

I am NOT one for pregnancy troupes or romance books that center pregnancy, so I’m still taken aback by how much I enjoyed this book.

This book is so messy, and I was here for every single moment.

Right off the bat, I loved Lizzie. Every day is a struggle for Lizzie since she’s an adult with ADHD who lacks organization, focus, and a family that even tries to understand where she’s coming from. The author does a phenomenal job of allowing the reader to really get inside of Lizzie’s head and understand how difficult being neurodivergent is especially when neurotypicals are dismissive and ableist.

As someone who is ND and is married to someone who is ND with ADHD, so much of Lizzie’s character and what she goes through is completely relatable in my household!

Rake was the perfect match for Lizzie. Rather than berate Lizzie for her impulsiveness and distracted mindset, he provides the love and support that Lizzie desperately needed in her life, which includes putting his foot down when anyone tries to make Lizzie feel terrible about herself. Such a cinnamon roll and protector!

One of the best reminders of this book is the notion that you can choose your own family and loved ones and that you don’t have to be bound to toxic BS just because you’re related by blood. This is something that I relate to so much, and I love seeing this reinforced on page!

I could go on and on, but needless to say, I loved every moment of this book, and I will now be adding Mazey Eddings to my auto-read/auto-buy list!

Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings was incredibly refreshing and heartwarming. I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more.

I didn’t realize how much I needed to see a character like Lizzie. One that’s always been told she was too much and made to feel unloveable, when in reality she is just herself with her beautiful brain and entirely worthy of love. I loved how she learned to love herself and her journey of healing. I just don’t have enough kind words to express how much this book meant to me. It inspired some fun baking

🎧 Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake by @mazeyeddings ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the ALC of #LizzieBlakesBestMistake

Allowed me to introduce the best book I have read this year, in the romantic contemporary genre, so far:

🌙𝐵𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝐵𝑙𝑢𝑟𝑏: “Lizzie has made endless mistakes….
you name it, she’s done it… and made a mess of it too. One mistake she’s never made is letting anyone get closer to her than a single hook-up. But after losing yet another bakery job due to her uncontrolled ADHD, she breaks her cardinal rule and has a two-night-stand that changes everything.

Once burned, twice shy, Rake has given up on relationships…Yet something about charming, chaotic Lizzie has him lowering his guard. For two nights, that is. Then it’s back home to Australia... when Lizzie tells him she’s got an unexpected bun in the oven, he’ll do whatever it takes to be a part of his child’s life…

Through a series of mishaps, totally “platonic” single bed sharing, and an underground erotic baking scheme, Lizzie and Rake learn that even the biggest mistakes can have the most beautiful consequences.”

🌙 𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤: This book touched me deeply in my soul. Mazey Eddings brought to us the most compassionate portrayal of the neurodiverse community. Not only was this a book of how to face challenges and conquered them but also about love and support being that the greatest gift given and sometimes does not come from your immediate family. A laugh out loud and ugly cry book for sure. I highly recommend it.

🌙𝑁𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛: Summer Morton and Will Peters did a fantastic job narrating this book and making me feel all the feelings thru their words, the pace was great and the voices matched the characters to perfection.

🚨🚨🚨Toxic Parenting, emotional abuse . 🚨🚨🚨

🌙𝑃𝑢𝑏 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒: Out September 6th! So go get your copy.


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#bookish #bookstagram #booklover #bookworm #bookstagrammer #bookaddict #booklove #instabook #igreads #bookreview #LizzieBlakesBestMistake #MazzieEddings #macmillanaudio #netgalley #wearebookish #audiobook #magicallybookmarked

Thank you so so much for an arc of Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake by Mazey Eddings.

I loved this book so much. This is the first book I’ve read that has had such excellent representation of ADHD for a female character. I do not have ADHD but I work with and know lots of people who do and Lizzie’s experiences are so reflective and so well described. The descriptions of RSD were also so good. I am so excited that people will hopefully be able to learn more after reading this book as well as enjoy a hilarious and well written romance. I loved it so much! Interactions between Lizzie and her parents were heartbreaking for me but I loved how her relationship with her brother developed through the novel. I loved how accepting Rake was and how he championed Lizzie.

I highly recommend this book!

This is a cute, brain candy type story. The main characters have cute chemistry and there are lots of funny moments. This story will appeal to a lot of readers. Light, fluffy and funny.

First of all, I loved this book. I hadn’t read the first one, though I’m ordering that immediately.

I absolutely adored Rake. He showed some cute growth over the story—from not expressing his feelings to being able to articulate them in the most vivid way.

But there were so many other dynamics that rang true for me. The struggles with dysfunctional family dynamics and knowing whom to draw nearer to, and whom to walk away from was almost too appropriate for my headspace when approaching this book.

Perhaps my favorite part was a neurodivergent character whose past and behaviors so closely resembled mine, that I didn’t even realize these little quirks were because of my neurodivergence before this moment—the unpacked boxes, rifling through hobbies, the overcompensation…I just loved Lizzie and this book and I connected to it and Evie so so much!

3.5 stars.

I really loved parts of this, but it somehow fell flat for me. The premise was so so promising. I like Rake and Lizzie’s banter. I think a big flaw for me was that I just didn’t like Lizzie very much. I liked the conversations around her ADHD, and the discussion of RSD actually opened my eyes to some things my daughter might possibly be feeling sometimes. Overall it was an easy and entertaining read, but not something I’ll remember well or rave about. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC to review!

4.5

“I want to hand over all my old memories because I only want to make new ones with you.”

This book was everything I wanted it to be and more.

Lizzie has made many mistakes, but she’s never made the mistake of letting someone get close to her. After losing another job due to her ADHD, she has a two-night affair with an Australian man named Rake who changes everything. He’s sworn off relationships, but something about Lizzie keeps drawing him back. When she tells him about her unexpected pregnancy, he decides to uproot his life to be part of his child’s life.

Lizzie is such a beautiful, relatable character who comes fully fleshed-out and truly unapologetic about who she is. Her ADHD is portrayed really well with a sensitivity to the subject that I thought was import. But the representation is just as important. We see how it affects her daily life, her relationships with her parents and brother, and her relationship with Rake. Everything feels realistic and not overblown, and I can’t imagine how special this book will be for people with ADHD who feel misunderstood.

The friend group was absolutely stellar. When Lizzie doubts herself, they’re right there to pick up the pieces and remind her what a beautiful person she is.

And Rake is truly top-tier book boyfriend material. He is there for Lizzie immediately when she tells him about the pregnancy and his support is unwavering. They have a lot they need to figure out, but his confidence in her is lovely and endearing, and it’s heartwarming to see how continually proud he is of her.

The audiobook is outstanding - the emotion the narrators bring to the material is incredible and really pulls the reader into the story. Summer Morton and Will Peters do a great job bringing both Lizzie and Rake to life, putting distinct personality into the narration. The Australian accents for Rake were also excellent, giving the audiobook an authentic feel.

Such a fun, sweet, steamy book! Lizzie Blake may have been called a rake back in the day but when she runs into a guy named Rake, with his Australian accent and gorgeous looks, her normal routine of one night stands turns into more when they find out just weeks later that Lizzie has found herself pregnant. Rake instantly flies over from his home in Australia to be with Lizzie as she experiences all that pregnancy and parenthood entails.

I loved so much about this book. The communication between these two characters was great. Whereas so many authors can and have created characters in this situation who hide secrets and don't converse well, Eddings has made these two mature and whole while still ensuring that each had very real flaws and backstories that brought challenges. I adored the way in which they came together to figure out this new adventure as partners. The representation of Lizzie's adult ADHD and Rake's response to it was fantastic. The chemistry was intense. Lizzie and Rake were both just so likable and I found myself cheering for a happy ending for them.

This is the second book in a series but completely reads fine as a standalone. Mazey Eddings is a new author to me this year but after her first two absolutely wonderful books, has found herself solidly on my must-read shelf.

The audio is very well done. There are two narrators which helps the story and the comedic timing made me laugh out loud. I found this is a wonderful book to read via audio.